What We Did in 2008!!
(in no particular order)
1. Read 25 books-now, to some of you, that may seem like a LOT, and to others of you, it's nowhere close to the number of books YOU read last year, but it's a number I am proud of. I also kept a list of the books I read this year, which was also fun and the only way I could know how many I read at all. I LOVE to read, and I'm happy to be able to make time to do it! More on reading in a later post.(See link in sidebar for more on the books I read in 2008)
2. Conversed with my BABIES--and began to accept that they really aren't babies any more! 2008 really brought on a language explosion with the kids. They talk all the time. asking questions and making guesses and figuring things out. I love that we can actually TALK ABOUT things now, and I know this will only get better in 2009!
Read NO and Talking with Toddlers
3. Got DVR- I LOOOOOVE DVR! It's the most wonderful thing! I love that with just the push of a few buttons I can automatically record the kids' favorite shows every day so we can watch them when the time is right for US. So it doesn't matter when The Backyardigans are actually ON. With DVR they are always on when I WANT them to be! It's also really nice to record mom and dad's shows and watch them at our convenience, fast forward through all the commercials, and rewind live TV because we didn't quite catch what that character said.
4. Walked down the aisle-Reagan had a big first in 2008, making her wedding debut as a flower girl and doing a FABULOUS job of it too!
5. Lost a gate-2008 witnessed the demise of our beloved kitchen/playroom gate and the release into house freedom of our children. It prompted many changes in all our lives as we adjusted to this new arrangement. I won't lie, there are still times when I think back longingly to the days we had a gate to confine the children to one room and wish we still did. It sure came in handy sometimes! However, we really couldn't keep the gate forever. The kids had to learn eventually how to behave in the rest of the house, and mostly they've done pretty well!
Read Free-Range Quads and Security Measures
6. Gained a gate-attached to a fence that surrounded our whole back yard and opened the great outdoors to our children! What an incredible blessing the fence has been! The kids love to play outside, and it's so nice to have a safe place with plenty of room for them to run around and explore!
Read Outdoor Fun and More Outdoor Fun
7. Taught Ladies Bible Class-this was a big deal for me, as I am not generally comfortable speaking in front of people my age and older, but it has been a wonderful experience. It's always good to have a new challenge and get out of your comfort zone, especially when surrounded by so much love, encouragement, and praise. The ladies in my class have been wonderful and that was enough to get me back up in front of them more and more.
8. Really did it alone-last year's list included doing it alone, referring to the fact that in 2007 both Jim and I finally spent time taking care of the kids without any help for hours at a time. In 2008 we expanded our abilities and each kept the kids alone overnight or even longer! Yea for us!
9. Spent a night away-obviously, if we kept the kids by ourselves overnight, that means that we both also overnighted away from the children. Mostly this was Jim, away for both business and pleasure, but I had a little child-free vacation too. Perhaps in 2009 we'll overnight away from the kids together!
Read A Day Away
10. Moved into big beds-and what a journey THAT has been. Still, for all the drama and headache of this transition, it has been worth it.
Read Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves and Update from the War Zone
This post has gotten long enough, but there are so many other things I could talk about for 2008. If you just have tons of time on your hands and have enjoyed looking back at the other posts, here are a few more memorable moments from 2008:
Also, for a look back at 2007, check out Reflections on 2007 and 2007 Posts
4 comments:
Fantastic post Allison! I seem to remember some similar thoughts... Can I say that I appreciate the round "ten-ness" to your post (as though that would surprize you) I enjoyed seeing the recap and it was fascinating to realize all those thigns happened this year, some of which I had attached in memory to much longer ago.
Love the post - love the round ten - love the extras in the footnote, just to get them in without messing with the ten-ness. Great memories - I wouldn't mind a gate myself every now and then, but it would be useless now, and just something else to climb.
Great List of accomplishments. I read a lot last year but did not keep a list...my 2 fav's were Cold Sassy Tree and Walking across Egypt. Enjoy reading. i am starting "The Shack" tonight. i will let you know how it is.
It was fun looking back & re-living the year!
Love, Mom
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